Assignments for the Week of May 21-27

Hi everyone,

Now that we have transitioned to ZOOM video lessons, I am no longer able to write down notes and musical material in the students’ books/binders. Instead, I have created PDF documents for each of you and dropped them into a Google Drive folder. The link to your documents is listed in the What to practice heading under your name below. You should be able to access the documents simply by clicking on the link. Here are your practice assignments for this week:

How to practice it most effectively: Keep working on the beats from Lesson 6. Pay careful attention to the dotted eighth note rhythms. Remember that they are always played in combination with a sixteenth note either just before or just after. Always count the rhythm out loud before you try to play it. Also, spend some time this week listening to “Chameleon” by Herbie Hancock. We will start working on this song next week.

How to practice it most effectively: First work on the beat without the open hi-hat notes; just keep the hi-hat closed throughout and focus on the snare and bass rhythm. Try to push the speed as much as you can without sacrificing accuracy. Then, try adding in the open hi-hat notes. Remember that these always happen right before the snare drum notes, so the right hand and right foot should always lift up and come down in coordination with each other. Finally, work on the rhythm of the drum fill; be sure to count the rests.

How to practice it most effectively: Practice playing from the beginning of the Sonata to the end of the “B” section without stopping. If you find that there are particular places where you consistently have trouble, isolate those spots and practice them repetitively. Also, take a look at the exercises from George Hamilton Green’s “Lesson One.” Be sure to read all of the instructions and follow them as much as you can. We will definitely work on this next week.